AIPEF CALLS UPON POWER ENGINEERS NATIONWIDE TO RESIST PRIVATISATION OF INDIA’S POWER SECTOR
On 54th Foundation Day, AIPEF Reaffirms Its Resolve to Defend Public Power, Consumer Interest and National Assets
AIPEF CALLS UPON POWER ENGINEERS NATIONWIDE TO RESIST PRIVATISATION OF INDIA’S POWER SECTOR : On 54th Foundation Day, AIPEF Reaffirms Its Resolve to Defend Public Power, Consumer Interest and National Assets
New Delhi, Aug 16
On the 54th Foundation Day of the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF), AIPEF Chairman Er Shailendra Dubey and Secretary General Engineer Er P Ratnakar Rao called upon power engineers across the country to remain united, vigilant and prepared to oppose, through all democratic and constitutional means, every move aimed at weakening the public character of India’s electricity sector.
On this historic occasion, the AIPEF leadership said that the country needs genuine, India-specific and consumer-centric reforms—not privatisation of public assets in the name of reforms.
They strongly opposed the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, privatisation of public-sector DISCOMs, large-scale privatisation of transmission through Tariff Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB), monetisation of valuable power-sector assets and indiscriminate privatisation of generation, particularly renewable generation.
Er Shailendra Dubey and Er P Ratnakar Rao said that India’s electricity infrastructure has been built over decades through public investment, government support, consumer contributions and public borrowing. The transmission and distribution networks are national assets and cannot be treated merely as commercial platforms for private companies to access profitable consumers.
They warned that allowing private entities to enter selectively into profitable segments of electricity distribution could leave public DISCOMs responsible for the more difficult and financially demanding consumer categories—agriculture, rural households, economically weaker sections and subsidised consumers.
Such a model, they said, would gradually weaken the financial viability of public utilities while allowing private operators to benefit from infrastructure created largely with public money.
The AIPEF leaders said that the proposed framework of multiple distribution licensees using the same publicly created distribution network raises serious concerns.
Electricity distribution cannot be reduced to a business model in which private operators select high-value industrial and commercial consumers while public DISCOMs remain responsible for universal supply obligations, rural electrification, agricultural consumers and subsidised sections of society.
The AIPEF leadership also reiterated its opposition to the large-scale use of Tariff Based Competitive Bidding for transmission projects.
Transmission is the backbone of the electricity system and is critical to national energy security. Handing over strategic transmission assets and projects to private entities, particularly through long-term arrangements, could gradually dilute the role of State transmission utilities and undermine integrated system planning.
AIPEF called for strengthening State and Central transmission utilities by providing them adequate manpower, modern technology, financial resources and professional autonomy rather than transferring strategically important infrastructure to private entities.
They said that land, transmission corridors, substations, power stations and other electricity infrastructure are strategic public assets, created to serve the long-term needs of the people and the economy.
Asset monetisation must not become a backdoor mechanism for transferring public assets, revenue streams and strategic infrastructure into private hands.
AIPEF also expressed serious concern over the increasing push towards private control of electricity generation, particularly in the renewable energy sector.
The Federation stressed that renewable energy is going to constitute a major pillar of India’s future energy security. Therefore, the country must develop strong public-sector capabilities in renewable generation, energy storage, grid integration and associated infrastructure.
India cannot afford to surrender strategic control over its future energy resources while simultaneously weakening public-sector generation companies.
India has a vast rural population, a large agricultural consumer base, substantial regional disparities and a constitutional and social responsibility to provide electricity as an essential public service.
Therefore, reforms must be designed around Indian realities and Indian public-interest requirements.
The objective should be to make electricity utilities:- financially stronger, technically more efficient, professionally managed, technologically modern, accountable to consumers; and
capable of providing reliable, affordable and universal electricity supply.
AIPEF is opposed to reforms that weaken public utilities, undermine employee strength, transfer public assets to private entities or compromise the interests of consumers.
The Federation called for consumer-centric and employee-centric reforms, including recruitment of young engineers against large-scale vacancies, strengthening technical manpower, modernisation of networks, improvement of operational efficiency and effective utilisation of the vast technical experience available within public electricity utilities.
On the 54th Foundation Day, Er Shailendra Dubey and Er P Ratnakar Rao called upon every power engineer in the country to remain united and prepare for a sustained democratic struggle against: Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Privatisation of public-sector DISCOMs, Multiple/parallel distribution licences that weaken public utilities, Privatisation of transmission through TBCB, Large-scale monetisation and transfer of public power assets, Large-scale privatisation of generation, particularly renewable generation
They said AIPEF would continue to mobilise power engineers, employees, consumers, farmers and other sections of society in defence of the public character of the electricity sector.
On its 54th Foundation Day, AIPEF therefore renewed its commitment to protect public power, defend consumer interests, safeguard employees and oppose every attempt to privatise national electricity assets in the name of reform.
